BC’s government announced changes to its controversial DriveABLE program on Monday, March 19.
Seniors are required to take the DriveABLE assessment when a physician identifies them as having cognitive issues that can affect their driving. But many senior drivers report problems with the 45-minute touch-screen test.
In a news release, the government said seniors who fail the computerized DriveABLE assessment will be offered an on-road assessment. The results of the two tests will be looked at along with medical information to make a final determination.
“We have listened to the concerns expressed by seniors and we are taking action,” said Minister of Justice and Attorney General Shirley Bond. “With our growing seniors population, it is critical that we continue to ensure our streets are safe, while giving seniors the confidence that decisions on their ability to drive is done in the most respectful and thorough manner.”
The government is also taking steps to ensure seniors can take the exam closer to home. It is currently available at 17 centres throughout the province, up from three in 2005. A new centre will open in Cranbrook by early May 2012 and other locations are being considered, the government said.
Nicholas Simons, MLA for Powell River-Sunshine Coast, has been raising concerns about the test since last year. He said the government announcement is “just a whitewash of the real problem.”
Simons recently travelled to Cranbrook and Kimberley to hold meetings about the program. He said the concerns expressed by seniors at those meetings are similar to ones he has heard in Powell River and Sechelt. “People in Cranbrook have to drive over the Kootenay Pass to go to Nelson for testing,” he said. “People in Golden have to go to Kelowna. The distance is a ridiculous factor.”
But he is also asking “why would you want to bring a scientifically questionable test closer to home? I almost apologized to the folks in Sechelt for advocating for the test to be closer to home. What I know now about the test makes me think the entire premise is based on fear and faulty assertions about senior drivers.”
Simons said he has met seniors whose functioning and driving capability are good, but they have to spend hundreds of dollars to prove it through their first appeal. “Show me the science that says this is going to accomplish what it needs to without severely impacting on capable drivers,” he said. “The fact that the government can’t show me any scientific evidence that this is fair or accurate makes me suspicious. When I see the impact on seniors, it makes me angry. If I’m fear mongering, it’s only because government policy is maddening and scary.”
The implementation of the program has been terrible, Simons added. “We had seniors having to spend nights in far away communities. There are serious problems with the mechanics of the test. Governments’ response has been to exaggerate the presence of DriveABLE in other communities internationally.”
DriveABLE is not used in other jurisdictions the way BC is using it, Simons said. “We’re the only jurisdiction that routinely uses the Simard pre-screening test in the doctor’s office and DriveABLE computer and on-road tests.”
According to the government, 95 per cent of clients are referred to DriveABLE by the superintendent following an assessment by their doctor or other medical professional that indicates cognitive impairments may make driving unsafe. About 1,500 of BC’s 3.1 million drivers are referred to take the test each year.
